Case studies

Outcomes in practice

Real deployments: deal workflow, Microsoft 365 integration, and how advisory firms run tighter operations without standing up an internal tech team.

OperationsTechnologyIndustry Insight8 April 2026

Why Boutique Advisory Firms Are Hiring Outsourced Tech Teams Instead of CTOs

A full-time CTO costs £150k+ before you add the engineering team underneath. For a 10-person advisory firm, there's a better model.

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OperationsIndustry InsightTechnology5 April 2026

Compliance Is Not a Back-Office Problem: How Advisory Firms Are Getting Ahead of It

For boutique M&A advisory and financial services firms, compliance isn't just a regulatory obligation — it's increasingly a competitive differentiator when institutional clients run vendor due diligence.

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TechnologyAutomationDeal Workflow1 April 2026

AI Financial Modelling in Excel: What Actually Works Today

AI can now generate DCF models, comparable company analyses, and LBO shells in Excel. Here's what the output looks like and where human review still matters.

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M&A TrendsIndustry InsightDeal Workflow25 March 2026

Deloitte's 2026 M&A Outlook: Why the Midmarket Opportunity Is Real

Deloitte's 2026 M&A Trends Survey found that 33% of total US deal value in 2025 came from just 20 mega-transactions. For boutique advisors, the implication is clear.

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TechnologyOperationsDeal Workflow18 March 2026

Making OneDrive and SharePoint Actually Work for Deal Teams

Most advisory firms already pay for OneDrive and SharePoint through Microsoft 365. Very few are using them in a way that supports deal workflow rather than fighting against it.

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TechnologyAutomationOperations10 March 2026

Microsoft 365 Copilot Is Already Saving Advisory Teams Hours Per Engagement

Hargreaves Lansdown cut advisor note-taking from 4 hours to 1 hour per client meeting. Van Lanschot reclaimed 40% of time spent on meeting documentation. The tool is Microsoft 365 Copilot.

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Deal WorkflowTechnologyAutomation5 March 2026

Automating the First 80% of Due Diligence: What's Realistic in 2026

Due diligence is the most time-intensive phase of any M&A transaction. AI tools can now handle document classification, risk flagging, and Q&A generation — but the last 20% still needs senior judgement.

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Deal WorkflowTechnologyData & Reporting24 February 2026

AI-Powered Data Rooms Are Reshaping M&A Due Diligence

The VDR market is growing at 22% per year. The reason isn't just security — it's AI that turns a document repository into an active due diligence partner.

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OperationsData & ReportingDeal Workflow18 February 2026

Client Reporting That Doesn't Take All Friday Afternoon

Most advisory firms compile client reports manually from spreadsheets and email threads. Automated reporting tied to deal data saves hours per week and improves client confidence.

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Deal WorkflowTechnologyIndustry Insight17 February 2026

Your Network Is Your Deal Pipeline — But Only If You Can See It Clearly

97% of M&A executives now use AI or advanced analytics in their dealmaking. For boutique advisory, the most immediate application isn't due diligence — it's relationship intelligence.

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Deal WorkflowTechnologyOperations10 February 2026

Why Generic CRMs Fail Deal Teams — And What to Use Instead

Salesforce and HubSpot are built for sales pipelines, not deal pipelines. The distinction matters more than most boutique advisory firms realise.

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Deal WorkflowOperationsAutomation28 January 2026

The Deal Workflow Problem That's Holding Back Boutique Firms

Most boutique advisory firms run deals across a patchwork of email threads, shared drives, and spreadsheets. That's not a technology preference — it's a liability.

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M&A TrendsTechnologyIndustry Insight15 January 2026

Gen AI in M&A: What the Numbers Actually Mean for Boutique Advisors

McKinsey's latest research shows gen AI cutting M&A deal cycles by up to 50%. Here's what that means in practice for a small advisory team running live mandates.

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M&A TrendsOperationsDeal Workflow8 January 2026

Post-Merger Integration: Why Advisory Firms That Start Planning at Due Diligence Win

BCG's integration research is consistent: deals that begin integration planning during due diligence outperform those that start after close. Most advisory mandates don't reflect this.

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OperationsDeal WorkflowData & Reporting30 December 2025

The Hidden Cost of Running M&A Processes in Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets aren't free — they just hide their costs in time, errors, and missed signals. For boutique advisory firms running multiple live mandates, the tab adds up quickly.

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AutomationOperationsDeal Workflow16 December 2025

The NDA Bottleneck: Why Contract Automation Matters More Than Most Firms Realise

The average NDA takes 5 days to execute. In a competitive sale process with 20 potential buyers, that's weeks of compressible delay — before you've shared a single document.

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Deal WorkflowTechnologyAutomation8 December 2025

Deal Origination Is Getting More Competitive — Here's How Boutique Firms Are Staying Ahead

PE dry powder dropped from $1.3 trillion to $880 billion in 2025. More capital is chasing fewer good deals. Origination quality is now the primary differentiator for boutique advisory.

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M&A TrendsIndustry InsightOperations28 November 2025

BCG's 2026 M&A Outlook: Execution Discipline Is the New Competitive Edge

BCG's latest M&A outlook finds optimism returning but caution prevailing. The firms that will win in 2026 are those with cleaner processes, faster execution, and tighter integration planning.

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M&A TrendsIndustry Insight18 November 2025

Bain's 2026 M&A Report: What the Great Rebound Means for Boutique Advisors

Global deal value hit $4.9 trillion in 2025 — up 40% and the second-highest year on record. Bain's annual M&A report explains what drove it and what comes next.

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Industry InsightM&A TrendsOperations12 November 2025

Scale or Specialise: The Strategic Choice Boutique Advisory Firms Can't Defer

McKinsey's 2026 private markets report identifies a stark strategic binary for midmarket firms: scale through consolidation or specialise deeply. The same choice is reshaping boutique advisory.

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TechnologyDeal WorkflowAutomation6 November 2025

AI-Assisted Due Diligence: Cutting Document Review Time Without Cutting Corners

AI can reduce due diligence document review time by up to 70%. The ceiling isn't technology — it's process design. Here's how boutique advisory firms are integrating AI without losing analytical rigour.

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OperationsIndustry Insight29 October 2025

The Advisory Fee Conversation: What Boutique Firms Should Know About Pricing in 2025

M&A advisory fees are rising as deal activity rebounds. Retainer structures are becoming more common. Understanding how to price, position, and protect your fee arrangement is not a back-office question.

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TechnologyOperations21 October 2025

Cloud Infrastructure for Boutique Advisory: From Optional to Operational Foundation

87% of financial services firms increased cloud investment in 2025. The remaining 13% aren't saving money — they're accumulating infrastructure debt that makes AI adoption, collaboration, and compliance harder.

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OperationsIndustry Insight13 October 2025

Why Boutique Advisory Is Winning the Talent Competition in 2025

Talent migration from bulge-bracket to boutique firms is accelerating. The firms capturing the best deal professionals share three structural characteristics that have nothing to do with prestige.

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M&A TrendsData & ReportingIndustry Insight3 October 2025

Midmarket EBITDA Multiples in 2025–26: What the Valuation Data Actually Shows

PE sponsors paid an average of 12.0x EV/EBITDA in 2025. Private strategics paid 9.8x. The spread matters as much as the headline — and it shapes how boutique advisors should structure buyer processes.

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M&A TrendsIndustry Insight24 September 2025

McKinsey's Global Private Markets Report 2026: A Clearer View, Tougher Terrain

PE buyout deal value hit $1.8 trillion in 2025 — up 20% and the second-highest year on record. McKinsey's 2026 Private Markets Report maps where the market is heading and why midmarket dynamics are shifting.

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Deal WorkflowIndustry InsightTechnology15 September 2025

Cybersecurity Due Diligence: The M&A Risk That's Repricing Deals

65% of acquirers report deal regret linked to cybersecurity issues discovered post-close. EY identifies cyber risk as a primary valuation consideration — not just a technical footnote.

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